This is a cool feature, but it's also a downfall to the game. For one, the boards are nowhere near as elaborate as a real pinball machine. I remember looking at a machine in an arcade once and spending many, many minutes trying to find everything there was to find on the table. The tables in AP:FI, on the other hand, are considerably more sparse when it comes to 'goodies'.
They're also a lot more angular, because of the 3D engine used to power the game -- the Unreal engine. While the sweeping designs of the stages--from one that has you 'climbing a mountain' to the beautiful last level set partially under the ocean--is quite impressive, the whole thing looks considerably chunkier than the more refined tables in, say, Pro Pinball: Timeshock! or something similar.
More frighteningly, the game actually chugs occasionally, even on my rig. This generally only happens when there's a lot of stuff going on on the screen at once, but I can imagine that the effect is worse on those machines which aren't as powerful as mine. Admittedly, my resolution was jacked up, but if Unreal Tournament can handle the resolution I had it set to without a dropped frame, why can't this pinball game?
The sound . . . is a definite mixed bag. Of special, irritating note is the announcer, who is constantly jabbering throughout each board. While it's informative at first, it would be nice to be able to have him shut up after he explains a particular event once or twice. If I hear him say 'Climb the mountain!' one more time I'm liable to play Frisbee with the CD. Argh. The 'oogs' used on the menus are also pretty highly annoying. The in game sound effects are passable, but definitely pretty run-of-the-mill. The music, when you hear it, is good, but nothing to really write home about. Adventure Pinball really doesn't impress when it comes to the aureal quality.